Intervocalic Gemination in Mappila Malayalam: Evidence from Perso-Arabic Loanwords

Gemination, being a common feature of Dravidian languages, has been found to be an effective adaptation strategy in Malayalam (spoken in India). Gemination plays a crucial role in the nativization of loanwords of Perso-Arabic origin (PAO) in the language variety 'Mappila Malayalam,' which contains a large number of PAO words. This study attempts to analyze different patterns of gemination in the loanword phonology of the Mappila Malayalam for a range of sounds and their occurrences in various combinations and positions. The field data collected from the northern Malabar region of Kerala (India) indicates a variation in speech with respect to the profound variables, age, geographical region, and education. In progression, the segmental distribution and gemination patterns are phonologically characterized and accounted for within the framework of the stratal optimality theoretic model (Kiparsky 2000). The OT analysis of the PAO words shows certain generalized strategies that can be used to draw implications for syllable structure theories in Malayalam. Keywords: Loanword phonology, Nativization, Gemination, Optimality Theory, Mappila Malayalam